INFI or CPM 3V....which is better?

MicroAlign

MicroAlign

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I'm wondering if there has been any head to head comparisons between these two steels and which is considered to be superior for larger blades. I'm thinking of getting a new bowie knife and I'm trying to decide which steel I want to go with. Thanks.
 
MicroAlign said:
I'm wondering if there has been any head to head comparisons between these two steels and which is considered to be superior for larger blades. I'm thinking of getting a new bowie knife and I'm trying to decide which steel I want to go with. Thanks.
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Well unless your going to buy a Busse it will HAVE to be 3V.
 
MicroAlign said:
I'm wondering if there has been any head to head comparisons between these two steels and which is considered to be superior for larger blades. I'm thinking of getting a new bowie knife and I'm trying to decide which steel I want to go with. Thanks.
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INFI is only available through Busse. It's by far the better steel.
 
benyaM95 Ranger Knif said:
why? cause you can break bricks and cut through the small metal pipe with a $400 1|4" thick blade?
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In a word............Yes

I believe that qualifies as "Better"

you can do it with $10 fiskars axe too:)
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You could probably do it with a fiskars axe but since your $10 axe is not well suited for camp knife chores you will have to carry a medium to large knife anyway.

Why not carry one that will do both jobs well.....


And I also believe the question was "which one is better" and the application is a large knife.

Infi would be the best choice.


if you wanted something a little cheaper then I would have to say get a Dog Father out of SR77. About half the price just as tough as INFI but won't hold an edge as well and is not as corrosion resistant.
 
Thanks for all the info. I figured INFI would be the better of the two. Basically, I want best material possible that offers the best combination of blade performance. A little corrosion resistance would be nice, but tough blade with good edge retention is more of a priority.
 
I have yet to see a rusted INFI blade. So, corrosion resistance is top notch with INFI as well!
 
I'm no steel nut, and in most uses, it's hard to see any difference between two good steels that have been heat treated right. But for what little it's worth, my opinion is that INFI is the better of the two for a large knife. Compared to 3V, INFI is more corrosion resistant and tougher. You can get 3V to chip pretty easily if you really beat on it, but getting INFI to chip is a much more difficult affair.
 
I asked this before, but too late in the thread to get an answer, so I'll take this chance to ask again:

what about the edge-holding of CPM 3V vs. INFI? It is very hard to track down info on the composition of INFI, although I recall one site that listed it as being around .5% carbon, which should translate to very good toughness but not very good edge-holding. The composition of 3V is readily available. Its carbon content is .8%, and vanadium at 2.75% is the highest of all carbon steels in the table I have, except for CPM M4 at 4.0%.

So in theory, CPM 3V should have much better edge-holding than INFI, no?
 
I don't know about edge holding between the two since I don't own either, but after watching NOSS's destruction video of a INFI Battle Mistress my money would be on the INFI for the toughness award!,,,VWB.
 
INFI has excellent edge-holding in my experience. I have never tried a knife in CPM 3V though, so I can't compare the two.
I also find INFI very easy to sharpen (easier than any other steel I've tried actually). Usually I don't even need to sharpen it, steeling is often enough to bring the shaving-sharp edge right back :thumbup:
 
I would like to see some knives in different steels with the same stock thickness tested to see how much of the toughness is Infi, and how much is a 5/16" spine
 
wutitiz said:
I asked this before, but too late in the thread to get an answer, so I'll take this chance to ask again:

what about the edge-holding of CPM 3V vs. INFI? It is very hard to track down info on the composition of INFI, although I recall one site that listed it as being around .5% carbon, which should translate to very good toughness but not very good edge-holding. The composition of 3V is readily available. Its carbon content is .8%, and vanadium at 2.75% is the highest of all carbon steels in the table I have, except for CPM M4 at 4.0%.

So in theory, CPM 3V should have much better edge-holding than INFI, no?
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Ahhhh here in lies the trap........


The alloy mixture is only part of the final product. Busse has a proprietary heat treating protocol which enhances the properties of INFI.

Looking at the alloy mixture the steel is nothing special however, the heat treating is the real secret.

No one knows what the protocol is but Busse for INFI (or any of the steel is for that matter). Scrap yard does say the heatreating for SR 77 takes 40+ hours.

Don't loose site of the forest for the trees.
Edge holding is subjective at best and is not all that important in a large knife. Strength and toughness is most important.

A broken knife is of no use a dulled knife can be sharpened.

INFI scores very high on edge retention so it's not really an issue.
 
This is from the scrap yard site.



It is in this process that the very soul of a blades performance will be born. It can also be the most expensive process involved in the making of a fine blade. Sadly, the knife buying public has been led to believe that Rockwell Hardness is some sort of gauge by which to determine performance. This is ridiculous! Following standard ASTM heat treating and tempering protocols, a blade made from a standard tool steel can be "properly" heat treated and tempered in less than 1-1/2 hours and brought to a hardness of 57-59 Rc. So what! Take one of our blades that has received our proprietary heat treat and tempering protocol of over 40 hrs. and it will also test out at 57-59 Rc. The fact is that one of our transversion wave tempered SR-77 blades that tests out at 57-59 Rc will spank the living hell out of a standard heat treated knife blade out of the same material that also has a 57-59 Rc hardness.

Grain structure and carbide distribution, are the keys to great performance NOT Rockwell hardness!
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The proof is in the pudding.............
 
3V is definitely more wear resistant than INFI. I couldn't tell you for sure which one is tougher. They are similar as far as potential hardness. INFI is hyped up for its corrosion resistance, but 3V is also very good as far as tool steels go. I think the decision should be based more on the knife and heat treatment than just the steel. For example, if you decided that INFI was the better steel, or even better heat treatment than any 3V knife, if you don't like the look or feel of Busse knives you shouldn't force yourself to get one.
 
I have never used CPM 3V. It may be the ultimate Wonder Steel for all I know. I have used INFI and SR77, and I can tell you from my own testing and experience that those steels will not fail.
 
well i like several designs of master busse. infi steel is the steel of choice for me. i want to try out a 3v, but the budget and will power are slaves to the fsh's and fbm's, amplified by the excellent marketing strategy.


really am looking at a fehrman ..........................
 
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